Display form for hosiery



Patented Mar. 11, 1952 DISPLAY FORM FOR HOSIERY Williaam Jack Cox, London, England, assignor to Williaam J. COXLimited, London, England, a

British company Application October 31, 1949., Serial No. 124,606

. In Great Britain January 7,1949

The invention relates to display forms for hosiery, and of the kind shaped to simulate a human leg or a substantial part thereof, usually including the foot, so that hosiery may be fitted on to the form to present an appearance simulating its appearance when fitted on to a human leg.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved display form of the above kind which facilitates the drawing of the hosiery to be displayed over the form.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a display form of the kind described comprising a channel extending along the length of the leg, which channel has the outer face of its base shaped to the contours of part of the leg, e. g. the front thereof, and has the free longitudinal edges of its sides shaped to the profile of the transversely opposite part of the leg (e. g. the back thereof), so that a stocking or sock may be drawn on to the form to lie against and conform to the shape of the outer face of the base of the channel and to extend across the mouth of the channel, the part of the stocking or sock which extends across the mouth being curved, by the form, in a direction extending longitudinally of the leg according to the profile of the edges of the channel and lying flat in a direction extending transversely of the leg.

It will be appreciated that when a stocking or sock is fitted on to the form provided by the invention a hand may be inserted into the channel to reach the inner face of the part of the stocking or sock extending across the mouth of the channel. This is of particular advantage in the display of ladies stockings since it enables the material of the stocking to be felt and examined, and the appearance of the stocking when in contact with the skin to be demonstrated without removing it from the form.

The channel is preferably made from sheet material. The mouth of the channel at each position in its length preferably has a width substantially equal to or slightly greater than the maximum width of the leg at the corre sponding position in its length, and each wall of the channel preferably extends without curvature from the widest part of the leg at the said position to the profiled edge of the wall at the said position in the length of the mouth. That is to say the cross-sectional shape of the channel at each position in its length is preferably of U-shape. The channel is preferably made of resilient material, since this has the advantages of facilitating the fitting of the hosiery on to 2 Claims. (Cl. 223- 75) 1 2 the form by permitting the sides of the channel to be resiliently bent towards each other.

A specific construction of a display form for ladies stockings and "embodying the invention willnow be described by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a front elevation of the form;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the form;

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the form from the'bac-k;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic sectional view taken along the line 55 in Figure l and with a stocking shown in position on the form, and

Figures 6 and 7 show diagrammatically two ways of interfitting a number of the forms for packing purposes.

The form simulates a ladys leg from the thigh to the toe, and is in the form of a channel moulded from a sheet of clear transparent plastic methacrylate material in the form known under the registered trade-mark Perspex. The base ll of the channel is shaped in three dimensions to the contours of the front of the leg including the upper part [2 of the foot and the general outline of the toe l3 of the foot. The cross-sectional shape of the channel at each position in its length is of U-shape, the dimensions of the U-shape varying at different positions along the length of the leg in such a manner that the form has the appearance of a leg when viewed from the front and sides. The depth of the channel at each position in its length corresponds to the front-to-back thickness of the leg at that position. The longitudinal edges I4 of the channel are shaped substantially to the profile of the back of the leg I5 and the sole of the foot is as viewed from the side. The Perspex is sufficiently flexible to permit the side walls ll of the channel to be bent resiliently towards each other thereby enabling a stocking to be readily fitted on to the form. The dimensions of the form. are such as to stretch the stocking to the desired amount and so that the stocking is stretched across the mouth of the channel between the profiled edges M, as shown at H) in Figure 5. The form is arranged to be normally supported by a stand (not shown) into which the toe is fitted. A small inturned lip I8 is provided at the thigh end of the base of the channel to provide a finger hold when lifting the leg. The construction according to the invention has the advantage that the form may be laid on its back on a table with the shaped edges M of the channel in contact therewith, and is thereby prevented from rolling on the table.

Forms provided by the invention have the further advantage over the hosiery display forms of substantially circular section that are commonly employed that they can be interfitted for packing purposes, thereby conserving packing space. For example, one way of packing them as illustrated in Figure 6 is to insert one side wall of each form into the channel of another form which is inverted. Figure 6 shows the forms packed in layers, the channel of each form receiving the adjacent side walls of two forms in the adjacent layer. The forms may alternatively be nested to lie one within another with their mouths pointing in the same direction, as illustrated in Figure 7.

A still further advantage of the invention is that several of the forms may be moulded in one operation (e. g. from one sheet of material).

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing example. For instance the base of the channel may alternatively be shaped as the back of the leg and any other suitable mate rial may be employed.

I claim:

1. A hosiery display form comprising a onepiece channel member of U-shape cross section transverse to its length and having along the base of the channel an exterior shape simulating 4 in three dimensions the shape of the front of a human leg, ankle and foot from the thigh to the toe, and the free longitudinal edges of the sides of said channel member having a contour simulating the side profile of the back of the leg, ankle and foot, from the thigh to the toe.

2. A hosiery display form comprising a onepiece channel member having transverse to its length, a cross-section which is of U-shape with the sides of the channel member diverging from the base thereof, whereby the member may be stacked, at least in part, within a second hosiery display form of corresponding cross-sectional shape, said member having along the base of the channel an exterior shape simulating in three dimensions the shape of the front of a human leg, ankle and foot from the thigh to the toe, and the free longitudinal edges of the sides of said channel member having a contour simulating the side profile of the back of the leg, ankle and foot, from the thigh to the toe.

WILLIAAM JACK COX.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 965,873 Colton Aug. 2, 1910 2,325,173 Cherdakofi July 27, 1943 

